Parachute



MarCh 20, 1934. L I JR 1,951,864

' INVENTOR 42 LOUIS L.DRIG'G5,J3-.,

ATTORNEYS March 20, 1934. 1.. L. DRIGGS, JR 1,951,864

PARACHUTB I Original Fil ed novpzs, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LOUIS I-DRIGG'S, In,

UM #M ATTORNEYS Fatenteci Mar. 20,1934

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE signor to International Flare- Signal Company,

Tippecanoe City, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application November 23, 1931, Serial No.

576,667. 1932, Serial No. 605,843

Divided and this application April 18,

'1 Claims. (or. 244-211.)

This invention relates to improvements in parachutes, and has for its object to provide, in connection with flares, means for supporting a parachute and discharging the parachute with It is particularly the object of this invention to provide a parachute adapted for general use, and particularly for use in connection with flares, that has a minimum of swinging and rocking 1o movement and will have a certain amount of ro- '25 in open position.

Figure 3 vis a fragmentary view showing one corner of the parachute.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the parachute open carrying its load.

For discharging the flare there is provided a cylinder or case 1, which has a closed end 2 with a bead 3 around the closed end, at the juncture of the end with the wall of the case. The case or cylinder is supported at its closed end by means of a bracket, which has sides 4 engaging the bead 3. This bracket also has a top 5 with a hole 6 therein adapted to receive a cone-shaped crown piece 7 formed as part of the end of the cylinderor case.

Between the closed end of the cylinder and the crown piece, on one hand, and the top of the bracket is a rubber washer 8, which serves to deaden the shock due to the discharge of the flare. The small end of the cone-shaped crown 5 piece terminates in a cylindrical collar 9, which has threaded therein a firing plug 10, which is cylindrical in shape and contains black powder 11, in which there isembedded a small cylinderv 12 having powder therein.

Into this small cylinder 12 extend wires 13 for igniting the powder therein and causing the small cylinder to discharge, and to ignite the powder in the firing plug. The firing of the powder in the firing plug causes a cardboard disc 14 to be forced out of the lower end of the firing plu whereby a fuse 15 is ignited and the flare is discharged from the cylinder or case. This fuse has one end projecting into the space formed by the crown piece and a felt disc 16, located with its edges in the head 3. The fuse extends through the central part of the felt disc and has its other end projecting into a cup 18, which has powder 19 therein.

The cup 18 with the powder therein is located in one end of a projectile carton or casing 17 and in a chamber 20 formed in the center of a wooden block or disc 21, located in one end of this carton, which has adjacent, the block a layer of powder 22 and has its other and remaining space filled by a flare material 23. The end of the carton 1'7 opposite the wooden block is closed by means of a metallic disc 25, which securely seals this end of the carton and holds the flare material therein. On the other end of the car--, ton or casing is a projectile casing 24, which is cup-shaped and fits around the end of the carton and extends beyond the wooden block part of the way along the wall of the carton containing the flare material.

At the end of the cartonadjacent the metallic disc 25 are saddle members 26, which have attached thereto one end of a cable 2'7. This cable, when the parachute is housed within the case or cylinder, passes through an opening or hole 28 in a disc 29, as shown in Figure 1. There is provided adjacent this disc and beneath the disc in the position shown in Figure 1, a metallic disc 30, which has extending between it and a metallic disc 32, on the lower or shut end of the case or cylinder 1, a thrust member 31. This thrust member serves to space the discs 29 and 30 from the disc 32 and provides a housing for inclosing the parachute and the cable and cords or ropesadapted to support the flare carton when it has been discharged from the cylinder or case.

The other end of the cable 27 has attached thereto one end of each of a plurality of cords or ropes 34 by means of a ring 35. The other ends of these cords or ropes are attached to the parachute 33 by means of straps 36. The parachute is composed of a plurality of triangularly shaped sections 3'7, as-shown in Figure 2. At the point where these sections are united around the periphery the straps 36 are attached. The sections at the corners of the parachute, instead of being united in the manner that the other sections are united, may be left in spaced relationship to each other to provide an air releasing slot 38, as shown in Figure 2.

of a resilient strap 39, while the other side of each slot has extending part of the way a second resilient strap 40, connected to the other resilient strap at one end by means of a strap 41, and at the other end by means of a strap 42. At the corners the ropes ir cords 34 are attached to the straps 40, thereby leaving the strap 39 free to vibrate and expand, due to the action of the air as the parachute, with its load, descends. This causes an uneven pressure condition beneath the parachute so that a rotary movement is produced. This rotary movement tends to stabilize the parachute and to'reduce the swinging and oscillatory movement.

The charge is shown in Figure 1 mounted in the cylinder or case 1, which is securely supported by means of the sides of the bracket 4. By the proper application of an electric current through the wires 13 the powder in the small cylinder 12 is caused to explode, igniting the powder in the fuse. This will cause the charge to be expelled from the case and at the same time will ignite the fuse 15, through which the powder in the cup is ignited and from this powder the flare material is ignited, after the flare casing or carton has been projected from the cylinder 1. When the carton or casing has been projected into the air it is supported by means of theparachute, with the flare material issuing from the upper end, as shown in Figure 1, the other end becoming the upper end during the flare action.

It will be understood that any type of load, any type of packing of the parachute and diiierent ejecting means may be employed without departing from my invention.

I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as may be embraced within my claims and the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A new article of manufacture for use as a parachute, consisting of a parachute body, said parachute body being square in shape and having a plurality of corners, said parachute having a plurality of cut-cut portions, said cut-out portions being located at a plurality of said corners, and a strap connecting the sides of the cut-out portions, whereby movement of air within said parachute will cause said parachute to have rotary movement.

2. A new article of manufacture for use as a parachute, comprising a parachute body having a plurality of corners on the periphery thereof,

cut-out portion having sides in juxtaposition to each other, and a web extending across the juxtaposed sides, whereby movement of air within said parachute will cause said parachute to have rotary movement.

3. A new article of manufacture for use as a parachute, comprising a parachute body having a plurality of corners on the periphery thereof, a triangular-shaped cut-out portion extending inwardly from the periphery of a plurality of said corners, said cut-out portion having sides in juxtaposition to each other, and a web extending across the juxtaposed sides, whereby movement of air within said parachute will cause said parachute to have rotary movement.

4. A new article of manufacture for use as a parachute, comprising a parachute body having a plurality of edges at angles to each other, corners formed at the meeting places of said edges, cut-out slots extending inwardly from said edges at said corners, and straps extending across said slots, whereby movement of air within said parachute will cause said parachute to have rotary movement.

5. A new article of manufacture for use. as a parachute, comprising a parachute body having a plurality of edges at angles to each other, corners formed at the meeting places of said edges, triangular cut-out slots extending inwardly from said edges at said corners, and straps extending across said triangular slots, whereby movement of air within said parachute will cause said parachute to have rotary movement.

6. A new article of manufacture for use as a parachute, comprising a parachute body having a plurality of edges at angles to each other, corners formed at the meeting places of said edges, cut-out slots extending inwardly from said edges at said corners, a strap on one side of each slot and a second strap on the other side of each slot, and a strap extending across said slot and connected to said first named straps, whereby movement of air within said parachute will cause said parachute to have rotary movement.

7. A new article of manufacture for use as a parachute consisting of a flat sheet cut square having a slot located at one corner, strap means connecting the free portions of the parachute adjacent the ,slot whereby one of said portions adjacent the slot may lift above the other portion, permitting air confined within the parachute to make its exit tangentially out of the parachute through said slot, such movement of- 

